This was the one I'd been looking forward to all summer. Tonight Natalie Merchant brought back memories with "Carnival," "Wonder" and "Kind and Generous." She also did an amazing thing--she brought people to their feet--dancing even--to poetry. Her latest album, Leave Your Sleep, features 2 discs of children's poetry put to her original musical compositions. She plays just about every genre of music, from Chinese-inspired to Cajun to nautical tunes. She did not, however, satisfy the 10,000 Maniacs fans in the crowd who were shouting for the numbers she sang with her former group.
The most interesting part of the concert may have been Natalie herself. She appears to be easily distracted, or unaccustomed to being able to see her audience as clearly as she could tonight at Meijer Gardens. She would lose track of her lyrics as she watched people talking on cell phones, which obviously irritated her. She was already a little out of her element because it was too bright for some of the projections of her show, and she was waiting for the sun to go down. Which it did eventually, but it meant changing up the order of her show. She was very interactive, launching into impromptu tunes such as "Dust in the Wind." She even sang the second verse after someone Googled the lyrics on his iPhone for her.
Mellow, beautiful and filled with great music, it was another lovely night at Meijer Gardens. And I think Natalie Merchant's voice could make the Oscar Meyer song sound fabulous. Even if people are walking around talking on phones or standing in line for popcorn just around the corner.
Also went to see "Inception" this weekend with our movie group. What a mindbender! Which shouldn't be a surprise, given that it was directed by Christopher Nolan, the same mind behind one of our personal favorites, "Memento." I don't think I can even describe the plot, but it was great to see with a group--plenty to wonder about. Though I haven't been that tense during a movie, or exhausted after, in a long time.
Get out there and enjoy some summer fun before everything starts over again!
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